Insanity Workout Program – Day 5: Pure Cardio (revisited)
I think I’m in love!
Pure cardio rocked. This workout caught me totally off guard. I guess if I paid attention to the name of the workout I would have been better prepared for the onslaught of pure, heart pumping, adrenaline rushing, sweat dripping also know as Pure Cardio.
So I told you that the warm-up was so intense that I had to take breaks just to make it through the warm-up. Well not anymore! It’s amazing how fast your body adapts to stress. Although Shaun threw in a bit of a twist today, being that it is Pure Cardio, there are NO BREAKS during the warm-up. Essentially, the warm-up is the same set of exercises repeated 3 times, upping the intensity(speed) each time with a break between the 3 rounds. So when I finished the first round of exercises I was pleasantly expecting my 30 second break but no dice….. we kept going, and going until before I knew it we’d done all 3 iterations with no break and I didn’t stop once!
Part of that is due to slightly improved conditioning but most of it is due to mental toughness. You see, when you first start working out, you don’t know how far you can actually push yourself so the first signs of pain or gasping for air cause you to quit. After a few times, your brain realizes… I know what’s coming and I know we can handle more… “keep pushing.” It’s one of the many valuable lessons I learned at US Army Ranger School. Just when you think you’ve reached you limit, dig down and do 10 more.
I will upload my heart rate monitor graphic so you can see what I mean. My heart was beating faster and for longer than it has in any workout previously however I was able to keep going because I pushed myself.
Fueled by my warm-up success, I blasted through the workout (which is non-stop until the final cooldown) with ease. Haha, yeah right. It was extremely tough but I pushed and pushed and in the end I felt great. I think part of my success can be attributed to my day off. I was rested and ready to give it 110%.
After the workout, I recovered much faster than normal. I am usually worthless for at least 30 minutes after the workout, however today I was charged and ready to go minutes after completing the cool down. Can you say progress?
We’ll see how tomorrow goes but I am really enjoying this!
Pain is weakness leaving the body,
Mike